Dear Du Quoin: Gov. Rauner selling the Du Quoin fair? I don't think so!
The results of November's gubernatorial elections hadn't been announced yet when the rumor mill started its inexorable grinding of fact to pulp. "I'm hearing that Governor Rauner is going to close the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds," whispered one. "The state is closing the fairgrounds after the first of the year," said another.
You want to know what I've heard? Nothing. Not a single confirmed, reliably-sourced utterance has come my way about the future of the fairgrounds. I've heard lots of unfounded pessimism, doubt, negativity, and worst-case scenarios, but nothing substantial until early last week.
That's when I read in reliable print media that the new Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Philip Nelson, wants to modernize both the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. He further wants to develop strategies for sustainability based on increasing year-round utilization of both fairgrounds. It's out there in print. Google it, as I did.
That's what he said. He didn't parse words. He didn't obfuscate or dart around the subject. Director Nelson's comments, if taken as his intent, indicate a positive, constructive vision for our beloved Fairgrounds that bodes well for its future. It's music to my ears!
Fair Manager Shannon Woodworth has been dismissed, a result of the political winds of fortune. Competent, capable, experienced staff remain in place to keep things in order at the Fairgrounds, but it's not closing. There are already a host of non-fair events on the books with more on the way. Those events are going to happen, they're going to bring thousands of visitors to our community, filling our hotels and restaurants, and bringing dollars to our community.
Director Nelson is exactly correct. The fairgrounds needs modernization badly. The historic grandstand needs work. The road system is in bad shape. Some of the stables are falling apart. Money will be the key in a state that is broke. Those of us who served on an advisory committee to fairgrounds management have been urging the importance of year-round event attraction, the employment of professional management and marketing, and connection with Southern Illinois tourism assets including Amtrak to leverage more bang for the fairgrounds buck.
I enjoyed good working relationships with Woodworth and former Director Bob Flider. The work they launched at the Expo Hall will make that building usable for decades and is greatly appreciated. As well I look forward to a constructive relationship with Director Nelson and his management team. I've reached out to him and hope to have him visit Du Quoin soon. He'll be warmly welcomed.
Du Quoin, and Southern Illinois as a whole, needs the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The year-round economic impact of the Fairgrounds hasn't been formally measured (and it needs to be) but it generates millions into the regional tourism economy, far exceeding the state investment. It puts this community on the map. It's an institution that contributes so much to our quality of life, that I can't imagine my life without it.
My first job was at the Du Quoin State Fair. As probably a 10 year old I sold individual copies of the Du Quoin Evening Call for 15 cents. My profit was a nickel. I caught my first bass at the fairgrounds with my grandfather Loren Davis. I learned to drive at the Fairgrounds, as did our daughters. I cycle out there for miles, wending my way through the hills and roadways, speeding up when a disturbed goose comes my way hissing. The Fairgrounds is a quintessential part of the Du Quoin experience.
For all that, though, we as a community take the fairgrounds for granted. We indifferently litter the grounds, fully expecting the Boot Camp inmates to pick up after us. We carelessly drive on the grass. We generate and spread untrue and unflattering rumors about one of the most positive things we have going for us. Please take a breath, close your eyes, and imagine life in Du Quoin without the Fairgrounds. I doubt that you can, but what image is there isn't very pretty.
We - this entire community - are defined as a community by the existence of this incredibly unique facility that few if any other towns our size in the nation can boast of. And boast we should, rather than diminish. We should be so thankful to the Hayes Family who brought this park to our doorstep, and all who in the decades since have built it up and helped it flourish, certainly including the State of Illinois.
So forget the rumor mill. When Director Nelson comes to Du Quoin, let's show him what genuine hospitality really looks like. Let's make him feel like this is his home away from home. And in doing so, let's make sure he appreciates the vitality of the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds just as much as we do.